Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Road to Publication: A Timeline

The story of how I got my book deal and agent is a total anomaly.  But I thought I'd share it (in timeline fashion) below.  –Hilary

Timeline of REUNITED’s Publication Process
by Hilary Weisman Graham

1.     Sept 2008:  My editor at Simon & Schuster (who was not my editor yet) has an idea (as in two-sentence concept) for a book about a group of friends who reunite to see a band they once loved.
2.     She sends it to my agent (who was not yet my agent ).
3.     Who sends it to my manager (I'm also a screenwriter).
4.     Who sends it to me.
5.     I'm inspired by the idea & over the weekend quickly write a two-page outline.
6.     My manager loves it, the agent loves it, the editor loves it.  Yay!
7.     Oct 2008:  On the editor’s request, I write a more detailed outline (20 pages).
8.     My manager loves it, the agent loves it, the editor loves it.
9.     Editor asks:  Can you write fiction?
10.  I ask myself:  Can I write fiction?
11.  Oct 2008 – Jan 2009:  I write the first three chapters of REUNITED.
12.  Jan 2009:  My manager loves it, the agent loves it, the editor has notes.
13.  Feb 2009:  I revise accordingly.  The editor has more notes. 
14.  March 2009:  I revise accordingly.  The editor has more notes. 
15.  March 2009:  The editor loves it!
16.  June 2009:  The editor brings REUNITED to an acquisition meeting.   I drink heavily with friends while waiting for the news.
17.  August 2009The agent officially becomes my agent and makes the deal with S&S.
18.  August 2009:  Contract negotiations begin.
19.  August 2009 - March 2010: I write the rest of REUNITED.
20.  March 2010:  REUNITED is delivered to S&S.
21.  June 2010:  After nearly a year of contract negotiation, I finally sign a contract and get my advance.
22.  Phew.
23.  No seriously, phew.
24.  January 2011:  My editor gives me my first revision letter.
25.  March 2011:  I submit my revised manuscript.
26.  June 2011:  My editor has minimal changes to manuscript.  I make a few tweaks and the final manuscript delivered to S&S.
27.  July 2011:  Copyedits.
28.  September 2011:  I see my book cover for the first time!
29.  October 2011:  First pass pages. (I have only a week to do them!  But it’s easy.)
30.  October 2011 (2 weeks later):  ARCS arrive! Yippee!  Then I notice that they’ve been printed without the first-pass page corrections (which is typical, but a bummer).
31.  October 2011- present:  Anxious waiting & tons of self-marketing stuff.
32.  June 12, 2012:  REUNITED’s publication day!  Woo hoo!

To learn more about Hilary or REUNITED visit:


Twitter:  @HilaryGraham
Or check out the Official REUNITED Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=cTuA9xbhE9I&context=C4c50a60ADvjVQa1PpcFPbab6XSAMjivdrQyLM0sJ5_dvcF8pDRo

REUNITED is available for pre-order here:



REUNITED – Synopsis (Coming from Simon & Schuster - June 12, 2012)

1 Concert.  2,000 Miles.  3 Ex-Best Friends.

 Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends.  Back in middle school, the three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3.  But when the band broke up, so did their friendship.  Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books.  Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show.  Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse.  And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town.  But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over?

ISBN-10: 144243984X  ISBN-13: 978-1442439849




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